Get Compliant with 911 Laws
All businesses must comply with two laws governing Enhanced 911 - Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act.
ENSURE ENHANCED 911 COMPLIANCE WITH CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS
Our cloud communications platform can help your organization comply with the rules governing Enhanced 911.
HOW OUR PLATFORM KEEPS YOU COMPLIANT WITH ENHANCED 911 RULES
KARI'S LAW REQUIREMENTS
Kari's Law requires organizations with multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) to send notifications to on-site personnel that alerts them to the emergency when 911 is dialed from their premises.
It also requires that organizations must remove any requirement that a caller dial 9, or any other number, to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.
Our Solution
Our cloud communications platform does not require a prefix to access an outside line. In addition, it automatically alerts on-site personnel when anyone in the building dials 911 as follows
- Calls the phones of predefined personnel and plays an automated recording of the time and date of call, username, phone number and extension that dialed 911
- Broadcasts an email with this same 911 call information to multiple contacts at once.
RAY BAUM'S ACT REQUIREMENTS
Ray Baum's Act requires organizations to provide a dispatchable location, including street address, floor, room and/or suite number (if applicable) to public safety personnel with 911 calls.
Our Solution
We offer Enhanced 911 with a specified location listing per phone. The location can include:
- Building address
- Building number if on a campus or floor number if in a multi-floor building
- Room/office number
IS YOUR ORGANIZATION SUBJECT TO THE 911 RULES?
All businesses must comply with Ray Baum's Act. All businesses with MLTS must comply with Kari's Law. Examples include companies across verticals, such as:
- Multilocation companies
- Education campuses (K-12, colleges and universities)
- Hotels
- Hospitals
- Retailers
- Financial Institutions
- Warehouses
- More
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ENHANCED 911 LAWS
The two new laws - Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act – were passed separately but they work in tandem to provide more specific directives for processing 911 calls.
WHAT IS KARI'S LAW?
Kari's Law was passed into law on February 16, 2018, and applies to multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) "manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed" after the compliance date of February 16, 2020. The law:
- Prohibits the "Prefix" Requirement When Calling 911 – Locations with MLTS must remove any requirement that a caller dial 9 or any other number to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.
- Requires On-site Notification – A notification must be sent to on-site personnel when a 911 call is dialed from an MLTS.
WHAT IS RAY BAUM'S ACT?
Kari's Law was passed into law on February 16, 2018, and applies to multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) "manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed" after the compliance date of February 16, 2020. The law:
A dispatchable address is now defined as "the street address of the calling party, and additional information such as room number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party."
Note: These are federal laws; states may have their additional laws with their own requirements.
E911 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
Here's a list of tips to help you deliver compliant E911 service to keep your employees, vendors and customers safe.
- Ensure callers can direct dial E911 without the need to dial an access code, such as * or 9, first to get an outside line.
- Plan E911 support for virtual workers and satellite offices.
- Set up E911 notifications for designated personnel in the event there's an emergency.
- Consult with legal counsel regarding your need to comply with the new E911 rules.
- Map "dispatchable locations" where first responders can find E911 callers, including address, building, floor and/or room.
- Test E911 access across endpoints by making a 933 test call, which will trigger an automated message with the caller name, callback number and address.